EMOTIONAL appeals were made last night in a bid to break the wall of silence protecting the killers of postman Paul Savage.

It was 12 months ago today that the 30-year-old Mold post-man was brutally beaten and left bleeding to death on a snow-covered pavement.

He was delivering early morning mail in Clayton Road, Mold.

His widow Charlotte, 29, said: "This year has been the longest of my life and the worst year I am ever likely to experience.

"I never realised what death was about until now. It's the most final of all things.

"Whatever you wished you said or done doesn't matter any more. It's too late, there's no second chance, apart from in my dreams.

"I am so honoured to have so many wonderful memories of Paul. Nobody can ever take those away from me.

"Our daughter, Reagan, received an award at school last week. Her first words when I picked her up were 'Daddy would be so proud if he was alive'. These are the words of a five-year-old."

Paul's mother, Mrs June White, of Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, will be at her son's grave today.

"It's been very, very hard," she said.

Mrs White was in Mold visiting her son's Gwernaffield home when news of the attack came. She was at his bedside in hospital and held him in her arms as she watched him die.

In the past 12 months she has returned to the estate where her son died and mounted her own door-to-door appeal urging residents to come forward with information.

Last night a leader offered to act as go-between for any informants.

Coun Ray Dodd was the first to discover the battered body of Paul Savage at the bottom of his driveway in Clayton Road.

The memory of the grim discovery, minutes after Paul delivered mail to Mr Dodd's home, would never leave him, he said.

Someone casually said to him in the street some time later that the value of his property must have dropped because everyone would associate his bungalow with the murder.

"I concluded that my property may or may not have been devalued, but our whole town, our whole community has been more seriously devalued by giving the impression that the people of Mold do not care, or are too fearful or are too complacent to help bring these murderers to justice," said Mr Dodd, a councillor in the community for 28 years.

"One year on it is going to be very difficult for those in our community to come forward with such information. People know that the second question they are asked will be why have you waited until now, and that question will be impossible to answer without serious or severe embarrassment," he said.

Mr Dodd said as a Flintshire county councillor he had access to private rooms where someone could meet him and pass on information in confidence.

Killers linked with drug culture

THE killers of Paul Savage have drug backgrounds.

Det Chf Insp Dave Loftus, the man leading the murder hunt, said: "I do not intend to fuel speculation as to the motive for this murder, except to say it was unprovoked and carried out in the most cowardly way possible.

"What we do believe is that the offenders have a drugs background and that is why key witnesses may be reluctant to come forward.

"We recognised that coming forward may be seen as breaking ranks.

"Key witnesses themselves may have previous convictions or a drug habit. The question they need to ask themselves is what if it had been their son, husband, or partner who had been killed?

"We can deal with any concerns witnesses may have. If anybody wishes to speak informally, or even anonymously, with a member of the investigation team, that can be arranged. The incident room number remains 01352 707500.

"We will leave no stone unturned in this inquiry. If you are a criminal in Mold, this investigation will haunt you. We are here until this murder is solved."

Six blows from an 18 inch-long wooden club, fashioned from a length of bannister rail, fractured Paul Savage's skull while the seventh broke his jaw.

Two hooded youths were seen running away from the murder scene.

Three people were arrested and questioned about the murder and have been released on police bail.

But lawyers for the three, who insist they are innocent, say they are fed up with being treated as suspects.